Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine typically includes a tower, a nacelle mounted atop the tower, a generator, a gearbox, and a rotor including one or more rotor blades. The rotor blades capture kinetic energy from wind using known foil principles and transmit the kinetic energy through rotational energy to turn a shaft coupling the rotor blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
Large wind turbines can reach a height of more than 100 meters. Thus, many wind turbines include ladders, platforms, lifts, and the like for providing access to the nacelle for carrying out maintenance and/or repair services. Ladders are typically fixed to the inner tower wall to avoid excessive movement. For example, in some wind turbines, known ladders are secured to the tower wall using mechanical fasteners. More specifically, certain wind turbines utilize clamp brackets for securing the ladder to the tower wall. For example, the clamp brackets are compressed around the ladder rail and bolted to the heavy bar stock brackets. However, such clamp brackets are not load bearing and do not provide a tie-off location for rescue operations.
In light of the above, improved attachment systems for wind turbine ladders would be desired in the art. For example, a load-bearing ladder attachment system for securing a ladder within a tower of a wind turbine would be advantageous.